FPMT Community: Stories & News

Monks from Sera Je Monastic University and University of Pisa Professor Bruno Neri are part of a collaborative research effort on meditation, which is connected to the work of Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa’s Mind Science Academy, Sera Je Monastery, India, 2019. Photo courtesy of Mind Science Academy.

When His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) in 2014 he advised the FPMT center located in Pomaia, Italy, to create an academy focused on Buddhist mind science. Established in 1977, ILTK already had many successful Buddhist education programs. What His Holiness had in mind, however, involved the creation of a center of study where Buddhist knowledge was integrated with secular academic programs, thereby making ancient Buddhist wisdom available more broadly.

This vision has led to ILTK’s Mind Science Academy project. Our FPMT Education and Preservation Fund has been very happy to be able to support this important work and has contributed US$140,900 to the project to date. Filippo Scianna, the former director of ILTK who is currently overseeing the project, recently updated FPMT International Office on its progress.

In his report, Filippo shared four key points that inform the project. First, there is a lot of interest in the intersection of Buddhist mind science and Western science. This has been demonstrated by high levels of attendance for programs on this topic. Also, students appreciate and value academic accreditation, which is central to the Mind Science Academy plan. In addition, dialogues with university scholars lead to continued debate, research, and mutual enrichment. Finally, project organizers observe that when they establish relationships with the academic world they create paths to Buddhist philosophical study for people who might not otherwise be interested.

As part of the Mind Science Academy project, ILTK is collaborating with several universities in Italy. Since early 2016, ILTK has been working with the University of Pisa to create a Master’s program in neuroscience, mindfulness, and contemplative practice. Several cohorts have completed the program. Unfortunately, for 2020, the program had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. But in 2021, they have arranged for courses to be online and have seen more registrations than anticipated. ILTK staff are involved as teachers for the program. Many of the approximately 200 students who have done the program have shown an interested in more serious Buddhist study.

Also in 2021, a new specialized course has been created on the application of meditation practices in organizational contexts. The course, also offered through the University of Pisa, has a high level of registration for it. The project plans to have a summer school through the University of Pisa as well, which will be organized by ILTK. The summer school is attracting a lot of interest, including from students across several continents, and hopefully the pandemic will not prevent it from happening.

A Sera Je monk wearing equipment to monitor brain activity with Prof. Bruno Neri, part of a Sera Je Monastic University, India, and University of Pisa, Italy, partnership, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Mind Science Academy.

The Mind Science Academy project has also established relationships with the University of Florence and the University of Bologna. With the University of Florence, they have plans to do a course in the spring of 2022 that will include a Buddhist philosophical exploration of emotional functioning with practical applications for psychologists and health workers. At the University of Bologna, a collaboration is being developed that will include as a focus the use of meditation as a therapeutic support in hospitals and universities.

At ILTK itself, a new course has started that relates closely to the work of the Mind Science Academy. The three-year course covers the study of logic and debate, and how these methods of discerning truth relate to pedagogy and knowledge. More than a hundred people have enrolled in it.

Also, ILTK is organizing a conference for June 2021 entitled “Reality Is Not as It Appears.” Geshe Namdak, the resident geshe at Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London, UK, will attend as will several university professors. New research on meditation conducted by the University of Pisa in collaboration with Sera Je Monastic University in India will also be presented at the conference.

Filippo writes that collaborating with the universities overall has been a good experience and has already given many people in the academic world access to Buddhist principles and teachings. He also sees potential for other FPMT centers to develop programs involving universities in their local areas and wants to share the information he’s learned as part of working on this project.  We’ll be exploring this in more detail in future Mandala stories.

For more information on the Mind Science Academy and Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, please visit their website (www.ILTK.org).

Learn more about the FPMT Education and Preservation Fund.

Read archive Mandala stories on the Mind Science Academy: “Building A Bridge: The Academy of Mind Science and Valid Cognition at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa” and “Ancient Indian Wisdom for the Modern World.”

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery, November 2020. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

2020 presented new and profound challenges around the world and the FPMT organization was no exception. FPMT International Office, also known as Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s office, adapted to the new pandemic reality and continued our work to help fulfill the wishes of FPMT’s founders Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. We assisted efforts to actualize Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s vast vision for the organization and supported 114 centers and forty-seven study groups in thirty-nine countries. We kept thousands of students connected to Rinpoche, the global FPMT community, and opportunities to learn and practice Dharma.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche—who usually tours the globe each year, visiting FPMT centers, projects, and services—has remained at Kopan Monastery in Nepal since March 2020. Rinpoche continuously engages in beneficial activates and that remains unchanged. But instead of giving teachings in front of large groups of students, Rinpoche offered ninety recorded video teachings from his room at Kopan during 2020 and also took part in an incredible number of pujas to help protect from and mitigate the harm of the novel coronavirus, as well as many other auspicious and beneficial activities.

We offer an account of our work this year in the FPMT International Office Annual Review 2020: Transforming Challenges into the Path. In it, you will find an overview of Rinpoche’s activities in 2020 and highlights of International Office’s work on behalf of Rinpoche and all in the FPMT organization. These highlights include updates on new Dharma materials, translations, and programs; news on activities supporting FPMT centers, projects, and services; and reports on the charitable projects overseen by the office, which offered more than US$3.7 million in 2020. We also share updates from FPMT Inc. CEO Ven. Roger Kunsang and the FPMT Inc. Board of Directors.

The Annual Review also shares new advice from Rinpoche. Given the great difficulties of our time, Rinpoche’s advice is priceless and so relevant. For too long we have focused our energy on trying to fix the outside world to ease our discomfort and suffering, Rinpoche explains. But if we don’t give priority to working on changing and developing our inner world through learning and practicing Dharma, we will not see any beneficial results—our efforts will go nowhere and our suffering will not end.

May we take a moment as an international community of Dharma practitioners to rejoice in all the ways we are transforming our current problems and obstacles into the path to enlightenment. May the merits we accumulate from rejoicing be dedicated so that we become most helpful to all beings and continue our work to fulfill the wishes of our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

We invite you to read FPMT Annual Review 2020: Transforming Challenges into the Path, now available in an online format. Please note, the FPMT Annual Review 2020 is available only online:
https://fpmt.org/fpmt/annual-review/annual-review-2020

FPMT International Office is Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s office and works daily to achieve its mission of “preserving and spreading Mahayana Buddhism worldwide by creating opportunities to listen, reflect, meditate, practice, and actualize the unmistaken teachings of the Buddha, and based on that experience, spread the Dharma to sentient beings.”

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with the Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal, March 2021. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

We hope you enjoy our April FPMT International Office e-News.  This month we bring you:

• Our 2020 Annual Review: Transforming Challenges into the Path
• Details of the second long life puja this year for Lama Zopa Rinpoche
• Five Powerful Mantras Now Available in Audio
• New Protecting from Abuse Training Course

…and more!

Have the e-News translated into your native language by using our convenient translation facility located on the right-hand side of the page.

The FPMT International Office e-News comes from your FPMT International Office. Visit our subscribe page to receive the FPMT International Office News directly in your email box.

Masks and instructions delivered to Vozes da Comunidades in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 2021. Photo by Selma Souza.

In March 2021, Centro Shiwa Lha, the FPMT center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, began facilitating the distribution of high quality face masks and instructions to the nonprofit organizations Instituto Floriano Peçanha dos Santos, Vozes da Comunidades, and Apadrinhe um sorriso in Rio de Janeiro, and the parish of Brazilian Catholic priest Padre Júlio Lancellotti. They did this as Brazil’s COVID-19 crisis continues to worsen. The PFF2 masked that were distributed are similar to other high quality face masks sold in various parts of the world (such as the N95, FFP2, KN95, P2, and DS2). Community service is one of FPMT’s Five Pillars of Service. Ven. Tenzin Namdrol, center director, shares the story of how Centro Shiwa Lha has offered help during this ongoing crisis.

Masks and instructions delivered to Instituto Floriano Peçanha dos Santos in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 2021. Photo by Thalita Garcia.

The purpose of the Masks for All campaign was to donate face masks to people who cannot afford the PFF2 models, the face mask sold in Brazil that really provides security. People received donated masks and material with instructions on how to put them on, remove them, and reuse them without lessening their effectiveness.

The campaign began with one practitioner who wanted to donate around 2,000 face masks, and from there many others joined.

We offered a total of 4,020 masks to three nonprofit organizations in Rio de Janeiro as well as to Father Julio Lancelloti who supports people who live on the streets in São Paulo city. The company that sold us the masks was inspired by our campaign and offered forty liters (eleven gallons) of alcohol gel for hand sanitizing to the nonprofit organizations.

We thank all of the donors who have given us this opportunity to serve the community at such a crucial time.

To learn more about Centro Shiwa Lha, visit their website:
https://shiwalha.org.br/

FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.

Online Sutrathon by Aryatara Institut, March 2021. Photo by Alex Volk.

Aryatara Institut, the FPMT center in Munich, Germany, held a twenty-four hour Online Sutrathon to thank the individuals who donated to the center in February 2021 during the Fifteen Days of Miracles. Sabine Kehl, a long-term member of the center who translates for the center, shares the story.

In 2021, as we do every year during the Fifteen Days of Miracles—starting on Losar and ending on Chotrul Duchen—our center held a fundraising campaign. We gave friends and supporters the opportunity to accumulate merit in the form of generosity. Generosity is one of the six paramitas, one of the practices of the six perfections. By practicing generosity and donating to the center, students can contribute to the preservation of Aryatara Institut and the spreading of the Dharma.

We received an incredible grand total of €8,773.82 (US$10,511) from sixty donors. Please rejoice with us!

We expressed our gratitude with an Online Sutrathon. Beginning on Friday, March 5, at 4 p.m., thirteen people recited the Sanghata Sutra nonstop for twenty-four hours. The group, which consisted of members of our board of directors and friends of our center, recited the Sanghata Sutra by taking turns every hour. Anyone could join the Online Sutrathon by reading along live via Zoom or following the Online Sutrathon via YouTube livestream.

The Online Sutrathon began on Friday with a motivation and ended on Saturday afternoon with a dedication of the merits. We dedicated the merits we created for the sake of all sentient beings.

We managed eight full recitations! It was a wonderful and heartwarming experience to be able to offer a big “Thank you” as a community to our donors in this way while also creating great benefit for all sentient beings. We rejoice!

For more information about Aryatara Institut, visit their website:
https://aryatara.de/

FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.

The grapple skidder carefully pulling trees out to the landing at Milarepa Center, Barnet, Vermont, US, December 2020. Photo by Dawn Holtz.

Dawn Holtz with the first cut of timber from the project at Milarepa Center, Barnet, Vermont, US, December 2020. Photo by Jackie Verley.

Milarepa Center, the FPMT center located on 275 forested acres in Barnet, Vermont, US, is working on a project to improve forest health, encourage tree growth, maintain wildlife habitats, and re-establish walking trails with help from foresters Mathias Nevins and Ryan Kilborn, Meadowsend Timberlands, Ltd., and H.B. Logging. Trees cut during the project and sold in a timer sale generated income that will help sustain Milarepa Center during the COVID pandemic. Dawn Holtz, center director, shares the story.

Milarepa Center has successfully completed an almost two-year long forest regeneration project. We are happy to report that all has gone very well and we are quite pleased with the results.

The project began in early 2019, by first creating a very specific, goal-oriented, ten-year forest plan. The forest and trails were then flagged for access and protection of sensitive areas. Equipment was moved in, and active cutting began in December 2020.

The final close-out of the project will take place in May and June 2021. The crew will return to give a final rake to trails. Log landing areas and stream-crossings will be brushed so water can flow through them properly.

Ven. Lhundub Chodron helping with the incense puja at Milarepa Center, Barnet, Vermont, US, December 2020. Photo by Dawn Holtz.

Spiritual preparations were also made for the start of the active cutting phase of the project. A Milarepa Center member who is residing and studying at Nalanda Monastery, an FPMT monastery in France, sponsored a Tara puja. The monks at Nalanda Monastery offered the Tara puja on behalf of Milarepa Center to help clear obstacles during the project.

In addition, Ven. Lhundub Chodron—who has held various positions within FPMT, including serving as director at differnt times of FPMT retreat center Land of Calm Abiding, Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program, and International Mahayana Institute (IMI), as well as serving as a past member of the FPMT, Inc. Board of Directors—happened to be in Vermont the day before the cutting began. Ven. Lhundub Chodron joined in offering an incense puja in order to pacify the many nagas and “landlords” at Milarepa Center.

I worked with a local forester to design the forest plan and lay out the goals for the Milarepa Center forest. They include achieving long-term growth and health of the forest; maintaining fresh water streams flowing throughout the land; protecting existing wildlife habitats and creating new ones; keeping the forest from encroaching on healthy, viable open land; and continuing overall sustainable management of the land and its many resources.

The project focused on an approximately 65-acre parcel of the 275-acre Milarepa Center forest. We implemented a prescribed tree cutting that was laid out in the forest management plan. By cutting down some trees we were able to open the tree canopy and allow sunlight to shine into the forest. This promotes overall forest regeneration within designated areas of the forest. Walking trails were also re-established in the forest as part of the project.

We had hoped to invite students and members out to walk and visit during the project, but due to COVID-19 were unable to. With that in mind, we digitally documented the project. Our forester Ryan Kilborn kindly agreed to help us film what we had hoped to share in person! The video we made will also be used as an educational tool by Meadowsend Timberlands, Ltd., a company that manages private land for landowners. They will use it to show viewers the process and value of good forest management practices adopted by landowners.

Watch the seven-minute video “Milarepa Center Forest Regeneration & Timber Sale Project” on Milarepa Center’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRyjZn_tKgs

To learn more about Milarepa Center, visit their website:
https://www.milarepacenter.org/

FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.

Door of donated ambulance with the message “Con il contributo del Centro Tara Cittamani” (“With the contribution of Tara Cittamani Center”) outside of Palazzo Moroni, Comune di Padova (city hall) during the press conference, Padova, Italy, December 2020. Photo by Marco Parolin.

Centro Tara Cittamani, the FPMT center in Padova, Italy, completed several community service projects in 2020.  Community service is one of FPMT’s Five Pillars of Service. Marco Parolin, center director, and Teresa Fabris, spiritual program coordinator, share the story.

Our center, established in 1994, is located in the northeastern part of Italy. Despite the fact that people in this area have a strong connection with the Catholic Church (or maybe because of it), many attend our weekend Dharma teachings and meditation classes. We can count on a membership of 300 to 400 people every year, and with a little help from activities like yoga classes, we manage to keep our financial resources in a good balance.

Father Marco Putin and Marco Parolin at the monastery next to Santuario di San Leopoldo Mandic (Saint Leopoldo Mandic Sanctuary), Padova, Italy, October 2020. Photo by Teresa Fabbris.

Things have been a little easier in the past few years, thanks to the fact that by law Italians donate eight percent of their annual income tax return to a church of their choice or the government’s social assistance programs. As of a few years ago people can donate to Buddhists through the Italian Buddhist Union. The association ensures each Buddhist center’s status.

Our center can submit projects to the Italian Buddhist Union. Once approved, our center can receive up to seventy percent of the budget. In 2018, the first year we were able to receive money, we renovated the center. We now have a Dharma library with a rich collection of 800 books in Italian, English, and French on the various Buddhist traditions. We also organized a room with a projector and wide screen so we can watch Dharma events and teachings from other centers.

In 2019, our board of directors decided we had to use the money we receive to give back to our local community. We got in touch with the Padova municipality social services department, who included us in a new project. The municipality has a few apartments for homeless people and people with vulnerabilities. Our task was to go into every apartment and propose cooking classes. In addition to offering seasonal, healthy, vegetarian meal preparation classes, we were also asked to share some useful tools for daily living, including hygiene, tidiness, and a taste for healthy food.

The social services department staff and residents were a little worried about our true intentions—proselytism is always a concern—but the meetings were arranged in the presence of a representative from the social services department.

Donated blast chiller, Santuario di San Leopoldo Mandic (Saint Leopoldo Mandic Sanctuary), Padova, Italy, October 2020. Photo by Teresa Fabbris.

Volunteers brought presents each time they visited the apartments—a few tools to help in the kitchen such as pans or a blender—and enough groceries to prepare the meal twice.

After the second visit, Marco wrote, “This evening we prepared a mushroom soup, chickpea and radish balls, cauliflower humus with olives, and a chocolate cake. Eight people crowded into a tiny kitchen, looking for knives and pans that simply weren’t there. After cooking the meal, we managed to sit down and eat all together. Everyone had something to tell or share. When we left we didn’t know what to say or think. Now back at home I don’t know what to write, but it would be wonderful if every sentient being could have happiness.” We were able to offer five classes before the pandemic made us stop for now.

In 2020, we decided to help a local Catholic monastery of Capuchin monks located next to Santuario di San Leopoldo Mandic. We have been in touch with them for a few years now. They have been preparing meals for homeless people every day since the end of World War II. We help them by collecting food for their kitchen. People who visit our center can leave food items in the shopping cart we keep at the entrance to our center. Every week or so, a volunteer brings the food to the monastery. This project requires minimal effort on our part but is very effective.

In 2020, legislation required the monastery to upgrade their kitchen. We organized a project to help the monks buy some new appliances—an industrial blast chiller, a burner, and three floor washers. The monks haven’t been able to reopen the dining hall due to the COVID pandemic, but they keep distributing shopping bags full of food. We continue to help them collect food.

Donated ambulance outside of Palazzo Moroni, Comune di Padova (city hall) during the press conference, Padova, Italy, December 2020. Photo by Marco Parolin.

In March 2020, the Italian Buddhist Union bestowed funds to support every center during this recession. Since we had enough to cover our expenses, we decided we could do something to help our community to cope with the healthcare emergency.

We chose to help the local Red Cross buy an ambulance. With €20,000 (US$23,860) we were able to buy the vehicle. The Red Cross then arranged to use the vehicle to help people with the coronavirus. The ambulance has a sophisticated intensive care system onboard. This allows the Red Cross to transport patients in critical condition over long distances.

These days you can see the ambulance around the streets in Padova, with the message “Con il contributo del Centro Tara Cittamani” (“With the contribution of Tara Cittamani Center”) painted on the side. We hope that the words “Tara Cittamani” will help protect the people who need the ambulance from fear and despair.

Watch the one and a half minute video “Padova, due preziosi regali di Natale per la Croce Rossa” (“Padua, two precious Christmas gifts for the Red Cross”) published by news agency RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana, the national public broadcasting company of Italy, on December 14, 2020:
https://www.rainews.it/tgr/veneto/video/2020/12/ven-Emergenza-sanitaria-Padova-Ambulanze-nuove-donate-alla-Croce-Rossa-6099f05e-3aa4-46f8-a074-cdb0176c116e.html

We used the remaining €10,000 (US$11,928) to help the local city hospital buy diagnostic kits and screening tests for healthcare workers.

We also use the shopping cart at the entrance to our center to collect food and blankets for animals in need. We periodically bring these donations to local nonprofit animal shelters. We are also preparing to help an animal shelter near Padova with needed renovations. The animal shelter wants to improve their shelters for dogs and cats to better protect them from the cold and extreme heat.

To learn more about Centro Tara Cittamani, visit their website:
http://www.taracittamani.it/

FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche in a Heruka holy place where he had invited young monks for a picnic and offered tsog, Nepal, February 2021. Photo by Geshe Thubten Jangchub.

We hope you enjoy the March FPMT International Office e-News.  This month we bring you:

• New Lama Zopa Rinpoche Advice and Photo Albums
• The Latest Issue of Mandala magazine!
• Prayer to Pacify Epidemic Disease – now on Audio
• Staff Changes at International Office

…and more!

Have the e-News translated into your native language by using our convenient translation facility located on the right-hand side of the page.

The FPMT International Office e-News comes from your FPMT International Office. Visit our subscribe page to receive the FPMT International Office News directly in your email box.

Doro Blancke and a friend, supporters of Team Gabitz Helps, preparing food for distribution to the community in Kara Tepe camp, Lesbos, Greece. December 2020. Photo courtesy of Doro Blancke.

Panchen Losang Chogyen Gelugzentrum, the FPMT center in Vienna, Austria, has raised awareness and support for the thousands of people living in Kara Tepe camp by collecting financial contributions for Gablitz hilft (Gablitz helps.) Kara Tepe is a camp for refugees and asylum seekers—the majority from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan— on Lebos, a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea off the coast of Turkey. Moria, another camp on the island, experienced a devastating fire in September 2020. Gablitz hilft is an all-volunteer organization in Gablitz, Niederösterreich, Austria, that has been accompanying persecuted and refugee people through everyday life since 2015. Community service is one of FPMT’s Five Pillars of Service. Maragarete (Margit) Sinabell, spiritual program coordinator at Panchen Losang Chogyen Gelugzentrum, shares the story.

On October 20, 2020, I saw a media report with the headline “Refugees on Lesbos: ‘Even in Moria it was better.'” This report touched me very much. Due to the COVID situation, knowledge of the refugees’ suffering has moved into the background. It is very important to me to stand up for them. Refugees on Lesbos are starving and freezing. They lack winterproof tents, sources of heat, and access to sanitary facilities for daily toilet needs. Without these things, it is hard to keep children safe and warm.

Gablitz hilft has been involved in refugee aid for years. Two Gablitz hilf volunteers, Doro and Helga work with the nonprofit organization Home for All. Founded by Greek locals Nikos and Katherina, Home for All is a social charity kitchen supporting the refugee community. They provide food to 1,200 people every day. On December 4, 2020, Helga journaled, “It keeps raining! From dawn to dusk we are busy supporting Nikos and Katherina with shopping, packing, and delivering the Home-for-All-meals.” They also purchase clothing, firewood, and other necessities such as children’s shoes, sanitary products, and latrines. There are additional 6,800 people in the refugee camp who lack even the most basic necessities.

Kara Tepe camp, Lesbos, Greece, December 2020. Photo courtesy of Doro Blancke.

I personally know a member of the Gablitz hilf board of directors. Karin is a doctor who drives to Greece as often as she can to provide medical care to the refugees. She is a Christian, but as a Buddhist I see her as a great bodhisattva. I’ve worked with Karin several times on different projects. I have been helping and supporting Gablitz hilf for years. However, we can achieve even more if we all join together.

I created a proposal for our center’s board of directors to review at their November 4 meeting, encouraging our center to get involved and financially support Gablitz hilf’s work. Our board of directors decided to appeal to our members and interested parties for donations. (No one from our center is traveling to Lesbos to help.) As a Dharma center, it’s important for us to help others as best as we can. Financial donations are the best way we can help right now. The transport of goods across borders has become difficult due to COVID. 

A person cooking a hot meal for the community in Kara Tepe camp, Lesbos, Greece, December 2020. Photo courtesy of Doro Blancke.

Our fundraising campaign led to a pleasant snowball effect and was even picked up and spread by partners in Belgium. The result far exceeded our expectations and touched our hearts deeply. By January 25, we had collected a total of € 8,729 (US$10,514.) Since Gablitz hilf is an all-volunteer organization, all of the donations we sent went to the refugees in Kara Tepe camp on Lesbos for food, care, hygiene items, and a permanent living space. The refugees and everyone involved are very happy.

Alice Grundboeck, the previous center director, shared some thoughts about community service. Alice said, “It allows students to practice Dharma in daily life, and it empowers students. Non-Buddhists can get an impression of what Buddhism means. When we do community service we meet people of different faiths. This can blossom into further cooperation regarding community service. We just began another project, supporting Tierparadies Schabenreith (Schabenreith animal paradise), a sanctuary in Austria that prevents animals from being killed too.”

For more information about Panchen Losang Chogyen Gelugzentrum, visit their website:
https://gelugwien.at/

For more information about Kara Tepe camp, visit the International Refugee Committee (IRC) website. IRC is one of the organizations running services in the camp:
https://www.rescue.org/country/greece

FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche on the “teaching couch” in his room at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, March 2020. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

We’re happy to announce the new digital issue of Mandala! In it, we explore Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Thought Transformation during the Time of COVID-19 teaching series.

This PDF issue provides a detailed summary of the key points Rinpoche has been emphasizing so far in the series; an overview of the practice advice, oral transmissions, and practice materials Rinpoche has recommended for this critical time; and a behind the scenes look at how the teachings are made and disseminated to students in various languages.

Also included in the new issue is an overview of how the international FPMT community has responded to the coronavirus pandemic; and some timeless wisdom from Lama Yeshe and inspiration from His Eminence Choden Rinpoche’s recent posthumous book Mastering Meditation: Instructions on Calm Abiding and Mahamudra. 

As an offering to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s students and the international FPMT community, we are making this issue’s cover story, “The Time to Practice Is Now,” available as a separate free downloadable PDF. This 22-page story covers the main points of Rinpoche’s thought transformation teachings so far and includes links to video clips of key moments. 

Mandala, as well as all the news on FPMT.org, is made possible by the support of the Friends of FPMT program. If you would like to receive a PDF of the complete new issue of Mandala 2021, consider becoming a Friends of FPMT supporter. You may also find Mandala 2021 in the FPMT Foundation Store.

Stuffed rabbit with Dharma message composed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, November 2020. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Here’s an excerpt from the “The Time to Practice Is Now”:

All Happiness and All Suffering Come from Our Mind

Throughout the thought transformation teaching series, Rinpoche emphasizes that however much samsaric suffering we experience and whether we become enlightened or not all comes from our mind. We are responsible for our mind and therefore, our life. Every day, every hour, every minute, every second, we have the opportunity to decide if we want to be enlightened or continue to suffer. This all depends on how we take care of our mind.

A non-virtuous mind leads to negative actions, the cause of suffering, and a virtuous, healthy mind results in positive actions, the cause of happiness. Because of this, Rinpoche says, we should come to the conclusion that we must work on improving our own minds. This is why we need to listen to the teachings of the Buddha, study, and meditate. It is not just for peace of mind, to have a quiet life, or to achieve serenity, but to transform our mind into the path to enlightenment.

If we have the karma to get the coronavirus, Rinpoche says, it is not possible to escape it—not even by hiding ourselves in the depths of the ocean or under a huge mountain—because it is our own obscured mind that created the cause to get this sickness due to negative karma. We typically have the mistaken view that anything that pleases or harms us comes from outside. We, therefore, believe that the methods to stop harm and to achieve happiness are to deal with and change the outside world, forgetting about the mind. However, the main work we need to do is to change our own mind.

We need hardships in order to overcome our delusions and gain realizations, Rinpoche explains. Buddhism is not easy.

To go deep into Buddhism, we have to dedicate our life to it and make sacrifices. Without self-discipline, our life is filled with so much suffering. There’s no peace and unbelievable dissatisfaction. We have to practice contentment, patience, compassion, and loving-kindness—all qualities of a good human being. Without doing this, our whole life is filled with suffering.

If we don’t know Dharma, particularly the lamrim, we can become angry, give rise to heresy, and commit the heaviest negative karma of criticizing and losing faith in the guru, Rinpoche explains. If we know lamrim and are practicing it well, we are so fortunate. Without Dharma, even worldly activities that look good at the beginning will fail in the end, including the homes we buy, the bodies we cherish, and the careers we cultivate. However, with Dharma, the result never decreases, it always increases until we achieve enlightenment.

Buddha taught a method to become free from sickness, old age, and death, which is the whole path to enlightenment. Without Dharma, we have no method to become free from dissatisfaction; but by knowing that everything comes from our mind, we have great freedom because everything is in our hands.

Rinpoche emphasizes how fortunate we are to have met the Mahayana teachings, and to learn and practice Dharma. However, we don’t take advantage of the opportunities we have and get carried away by wave upon wave of attachment, anger, and ignorance, and are completely under their control, so much so that we waste our human life. Therefore, it is so important for us to use our perfect human rebirth to practice Dharma before it’s too late.

By practicing the lamrim, with morality as the basis, we develop the inspiration and energy to stop our habit of non-virtue. Instead of becoming habituated to negative karma, we develop the habit of living our life with bodhichitta and the awareness of emptiness. So, if possible, we should get into the habit of meditating on emptiness no matter what we are doing. And by developing the habit of bodhichitta, the good heart—wow—this is like making our life into a priceless diamond. …

Read the complete story “The Time to Practice Is Now: Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Teachings on Thought Transformation during the Time of COVID-19” as a PDF:
https://fpmt.org/wp-content/uploads/mandala/archives/mandala-for-2021/mandala-2021/The-Time-to-Practice-Is-Now-from-Mandala-2021.pdf

Learn more about Mandala 2021:
https://fpmt.org/mandala/archives/mandala-for-2021/mandala-2021/

Watch the video series Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Teachings on Thought Transformation during the Time of COVID-19 and find links to videos in transcripts, MP3s, additional practice advice, and more:
https://fpmt.org/fpmt/announcements/resources-for-coronavirus-pandemic/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche-for-coronavirus/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Buddha House fete and open day, Magill, South Australia, Australia, January 2021. Photo by Kaya Migalka.

Buddha House, the FPMT center in Magill, South Australia, Australia, held their first free-entry fete and open day on Saturday, January 30, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the center. Hundreds of visitors browsed the outdoor stalls, visited the gift shop, saw the holy objects in the gompa, experienced a meditation or short talk by Gen Thubten Dondrub, and enjoyed Malaysian street food in the student lounge. Funds raised will help the Adelaide-area center keep up with ongoing expenses and maintenance needs. Income generation is one of FPMT’s Five Pillars of Service. Carole Migalka, fete coordinator, shares the story.

Inspired by the stories in Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe of festivals held at Manjushri Institute and Sandhurst Town and Lama Yeshe’s encouragement to bring people together in an informal setting, our center decided to revive the pioneer student’s spirit with a community fete and open day.

Buddha House office volunteer Shez Malone running a craft stall at the Buddha House fete and open day, Magill, South Australia, Australia, January 2021. Photo by Kaya Migalka.

The idea was simple: welcome neighbors, friends, and community members with food, drinks, and market stalls; show them around the center; and let them sample the Buddha House program. “Come and try meditation” sessions were offered, as well as a short Dharma talk, “What does it mean to be a Buddhist?” with FPMT resident teacher Gen Thubten Dondrub*—himself one of the early Western sangha.

When the Facebook event was shared and tagged widely, the committee knew we had generated some interest, but we could not have anticipated the wonderful support received. Well over 500 people visited on a perfect mild, summer day.

Buddha House Dharma Kids Club (DKC) coordinator Sascha Holyoak with DKC member David at a face painting stall at the Buddha House fete and open day, Magill, South Australia, Australia, January 2021. Photo by Kaya Migalka.

Delicious homemade food was offered by the Malaysian community; volunteers baked cakes, potted plants, and donated goods; and then all pitched in on the day of the fete to work on the stalls. The atmosphere was one of joyous effort offered by over thirty volunteers.

The community responded with joy, sharing with us, “I had always wanted to visit, but wasn’t sure when to come;” “I had driven past many times but didn’t know what it was;” and “We had no idea there was such a diverse program.”

The primary motivation for the day was to bring people to the Dharma, but it also resulted in a successful fundraiser with much-appreciated income going toward maintenance of the beautiful heritage chapel that is home to the Buddha House gompa.

With such a wonderful time had by all, this could become an annual tradition. Who knows we might even bring back Lama Yeshe’s favorite, the gumboot throwing event.

Malaysian food stall volunteer Eunice serving food donated by the Malaysian community at the Buddha House fete and open day, Magill, South Australia, Australia, January 2021. Photo by Kaya Migalka.

* In 2019 Gen Thubten Dondrub requested Buddha House students formally refer to him as “Gen Thubten Dondrub.” He shared, “Usually monks and nuns of the FPMT are referred to as ‘Venerable.’ I have always found this term uncomfortable as it is a very exalted term and is used in the Catholic Church to refer to someone who is in line to be canonized as a saint. When I was in Taiwan I learned that every monk and nun was addressed as ‘Fa Shr’ from the moment they were ordained. The term means ‘Dharma teacher.’ The closest Tibetan equivalent is ‘ge.gen,’ often abbreviated to ‘Gen’ or ‘Gen-la.’ It is polite and friendly. So when people ask how to address me, I suggest using that term. It seems much more appropriate than ‘Venerable.'”

For more information about Buddha House, visit their website:
http://buddhahouse.org

FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.

Chaplain Roy Poulter and Seamus Lennon from Leeds Street Outreach with donations from the Jamyang Leeds community, Leeds, UK, December 2020. Photo courtesy of Chaplain Roy Poulter.

In 2020, Jamyang Buddhist Center Leeds, the FPMT center in Leeds, UK, offered support to the UK National Health Service, the UK’s publicly funded healthcare system; the homeless population in Leeds; and individuals needing chaplaincy care as part of the center’s Buddhist chaplaincy service. Community service is one of FPMT’s Five Pillars of Service. Trustee Chrissie Martindale, Buddhist Chaplain Roy Poulter, and center director Kerry Prest share the story.

We are fortunate to have some wonderfully passionate individuals at Jamyang Leeds who work for others by offering their time and energy in a number of outreach projects. Here are two from the lockdown months of 2020.

Faith in Lockdown: Digital Diversity Multifaith Staff Network Event, Microsoft Teams online meeting, November 2020. Photo by Kerry Prest.

Supporting Our UK National Health Service

During 2020, we offered three sessions on meditation and Buddhism to the UK National Health Service (NHS.) One such session was in December. Usman Sharif, chair of the NHS Multifaith Network, asked if we would be interested in doing a short introduction to Buddhist meditation for the Women’s Network at NHS Digital, which of course we were delighted to do. The Women’s Network holds weekly sessions on wellbeing for staff on Zoom. These sessions provide a safe and supportive environment to explore wellbeing and to take a break from the day to day pressures of working for the NHS, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They were interested in exploring meditation from different faith perspectives. Chrissie Martindale kindly volunteered to help. After a brief chat to find out what they would like, Chrissie joined one of the sessions to chat about why meditation is important from a Buddhist perspective. Chrissie explained the difference between shamatha and analytical meditations followed by a practical session meditating on loving kindness.

Some of the group had experienced meditation before and others not. Some had previously thought meditation wasn’t for them as their minds were just “too busy.” There were lots of positive comments afterwards on how they had enjoyed the experience and felt more relaxed. We have offered to go back whenever they would like us to do so.

Chrissie says, “It was really lovely to connect with our local NHS workers at a time when they’re working so hard to keep us all safe and well. We have some fabulous tools to share. Even just fifteen minutes of loving kindness meditation was so relaxing for the group and so much needed at this time.”

Chaplaincy

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused chaos around the world and not least for chaplains attending to the needs of patients, prisoners, and those in need. During the last ten months voluntary chaplains have been asked not to attend hospitals for their own safety unless it is an end-of-life visit.

Chaplain Roy Poulter attending the sick, Leeds, UK, October 2019. Photo courtesy of Chaplain Roy Poulter.

Our lead chaplain Roy Poulter reports, “Trying to keep myself busy, I talk to people over the telephone and on Zoom to keep their spirits up.

“We also have a wonderful community who donate warm clothing, underwear, shoes, and toiletries when we put a call out. We liaise with three homeless charities in Leeds who distribute the clothing directly to the homeless on the street. Over the last three years we have dealt with homeless people in hospitals, many of which are drug users, and I have found them really nice to work with.

Back in September 2020, I received a call from the lead chaplain, a Christian, at Lincoln General Hospital. I was asked to attend a gentleman who was a Tibetan Buddhist and was dying. I drove the 250-mile round trip to attend him, and he passed away while I was there. We have also been asked to help with a couple of other funerals and of course did so. I can’t wait to get back to normal, visit our hospitals, and see people face to face.”

For more information about Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds and the center’s Buddhist chaplaincy outreach work, visit their website:
https://jamyangleeds.co.uk/

FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.